Men's Tennis

David Geatz Named Men's Tennis Head Coach at Penn

Geatz served as head coach for Cornell men's and women's tennis programs for the 2009-10 season.

Jun 16, 2011

Courtesy of Penn Athletic Communications

PHILADELPHIA -- The University of
Pennsylvania's Director of Athletics, Steve
Bilsky, has announced David Geatz as the
Quakers' new Albert G. Molloy Head Coach of Men's Tennis.

"We are excited to welcome David to the Penn family," said
Bilsky. "When you take a look at his resume, what jumps out at you
is the success he has had at every one of his stops. With a new
tennis facility opening up later this summer, we feel like we are
uniquely positioned for success within the Ivy League, the region,
and nationally. David is the perfect person to help the men's
tennis program meet those expectations."

"I am excited for the opportunity to be the head coach at Penn,"
said Geatz. "With the new facility coming in, I really feel like
there is unlimited potential for this program. I am looking forward
to getting in on the ground level and working toward bringing the
Ivy League trophy back to Philadelphia."

Geatz (pronounced like "gets") has had a long and varied
coaching career, but what cannot be dismissed is his success within
the collegiate ranks. Most recently, he spent two years at Cornell,
the first (2008-09) as head coach of men's tennis and the second
(2009-10) as head coach of both the men's and women's tennis
programs. Geatz's impact on the men's program was immediate and
obvious -- a perennial second-division program, the Big Red men
finished sixth in the Ivy League in 2008, before his arrival. In
his first year, however, Cornell went 5-2 in the Ancient Eight to
finish second in the standings, behind Columbia. The Big Red then
repeated the feat in 2010. Those second-place finishes marked the
program's best EITA/Ivy finishes until this past spring, when
Cornell won the Ivy title for the first time. Though heavily
bearing his stamp, the Big Red's title run came without him at the
helm -- Geatz left Cornell following the 2010 spring season. He is
currently the Director of Tennis at the Greenwich (Conn.) Country
Club.

For 18 years, from 1988-2006, Geatz was the head coach of men's
tennis at the University of Minnesota. During his tenure, the
Golden Gophers won five Big Ten championships and put together a
45-match win streak in conference play (including four undefeated
regular-season campaigns). Geatz was a three-time Big Ten Coach of
the Year and also earned NCAA Regional Coach of the Year honors
once. His teams had a streak of 12 straight NCAA Championship
appearances, and he led the program to a No. 10 national ranking
which was its highest ever. Individually, Geatz coached
Harsh Mankad to the No. 1 position nationally in
singles.

In between his Minnesota and Cornell stints, Geatz spent one
year as the Director of Tennis at the prestigious Hong Kong Country
Club. He returned to the States for the 2007-08 collegiate season
to serve as associate head coach of Ohio State men's tennis,
helping the Buckeyes to a 35-2 record, a No. 2 national ranking,
and the Big Ten title. OSU advanced to the NCAA quarterfinal round
that year, and finished the season ranked third in the national
poll.

Geatz first college job was head coach of men's tennis at his
alma mater, the University of New Mexico, from 1983-88, during
which he led the Lobos to a top-20 national ranking and earned
Western Athletic Conference and NCAA regional coach of the year
honors.

Certified by the United States Professional Tennis Association
(USPTA), Geatz graduated from the University of New Mexico in 1981
with a bachelor's degree in University Studies. He also holds a
Master's and a Ph.D. in Sports Administration from UNM, earning
those in 1985 and 1991, respectively.